Get an ‘astronaut’s-eye view’ of NASA capsule Orion’s re-entry into Earth

NASA released footage on Friday showing the final 10 minutes of the Orion space capsule’s return to Earth after its Dec. 5 test flight, the Daily Mail reported.

The video shows an “astronaut’s-eye view” of the re-entry process, ending with a safe splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

But along the way, the camera picks up a multi-colored view of the plasma created as the capsule’s heat shield travels through the upper atmosphere, shifting from white to yellow to violet to magenta.

NASA said Orion’s two-hour test flight was a precursor not only to a crewed mission to “redirect” an asteroid between Earth and the Moon, but an eventual mission to Mars with a full crew. The first crewed mission has reportedly been scheduled for 2021.

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Arturo R. García is the managing editor at Racialicious.com. He is based in San Diego, California and has written for both print and broadcast media, including contributions to GlobalComment.com, The Root and Comment Is Free. Follow him on Twitter at @ABoyNamedArt